


Dickinson

by KrisseyCrystal (IceCreAMS)



Series: Fluff Bingo [13]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Compliant, Cry it Out, F/M, Fluff, Fluff Bingo!, Prose Poem, Romance, They love each other, and i got waxy about it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:49:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23737870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceCreAMS/pseuds/KrisseyCrystal
Summary: Maybe they were always a love poem; the tears and the years just penned the words.
Relationships: Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang
Series: Fluff Bingo [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1655521
Comments: 8
Kudos: 24
Collections: Writing Squad Fluff Bingo





	Dickinson

**Author's Note:**

  * For [swanfrost](https://archiveofourown.org/users/swanfrost/gifts).



She cries the hour he burns her, just as she cries that night. Whether her tears were of pain or grief, he isn’t sure he knows. He holds her all the same the instant it’s said and done as his ungloved fingers trace the melted landscape down her spine.

In the quiet afterward, a promise perches on his tongue. He will give his years to her 'til this damage is undone.

* * *

He does not deserve her by his side. She does not care for him to ask. She is his growing shadow every step that he moves sunward, eyes on the center of his back. She is two steady hands and a bullet; his jury, judge, and executioner. She is here for all his good; she will be here when he turns wrong.

He cannot breathe without her; she is his very lungs. Yet she’s never asked a crumb of him beyond that burning night.

“She is your crutch!” some say, with twisted mouths and sneers. “You’d fall without her there to hold up all your weight.”

And there’s no argument to be had where there’s no disagreement found. It’s a matter of semantics, not a matter of debate.

She’s not his crutch, but his backbone, sir. What is courage without his lion? 

And what is hope if not a bird?

* * *

Hughes dies and he’s armless, though that’s a poor choice of words. Edward wouldn’t approve if he knew, which is precisely why he doesn’t.

She stands at his side by the grave, white hands folded before her skirts. When he turns his face to the sky and cries, she courteously averts her gaze. 

“It’s a lovely day for rain,” he says.

She easily agrees.

* * *

He cannot imagine life without her. He refuses to give it thought. But as blood seeps through her fingers, reality begins to knock. Her lips part in ragged breath. Her eyes are trained on his. He thinks he hates these human limits; he understands what the Elrics did. 

But she is his better half; she is his rhyme and reason. So while he considers playing god, she glances up and grins.

They take it from him anyway.

They rip it from his hands.

There was a choice he had on his knees; they stole it on his back.

* * *

He cannot see, so she finds him. Even weakened, she is his strength. She leans into him for support, and he listens for her command. 

This is how they survive the Day: by becoming what the other cannot.

* * *

Life goes on long after it should have stopped, which is Roy’s favorite part: that even after god’s scars, humanity continues to march.

When he regains his sight, it’s Riza’s tears he sees first. Crystalline jewels down her chin; her eyes so ocean blue. She climbs onto the bed with him, legs sliding messily over his. Wordless gratitude paints her face; something soft and vulnerable he can’t name. Her thumb brushes over his eyelids; he kisses the scar on her neck. 

This time, they cry together.

This time, they heal for good.

**Author's Note:**

> that sound u hear is me slamming my head into my desk aslkdjfalkjsdf repeatedly
> 
> ngl i've been feeling kinda low lately so my husband took me for a walk outside and y'kno?? he is amazing and absolutely right and fresh air does wonders. i still am not confident in this, but i wanted to try something different. a change of pace. i got back into reading poetry (which i love to do) and refound the gorgeous "Hope is the Thing With Feathers" by Emily Dickinson and wanted to try my hand at really focusing on rhythm. so that's what this is. not necessarily a poem, but an attempt at...something rhythmical in writing. something intentionally different.
> 
> i hope you like it. and BIG THANK YOU to the EVER TALENTED SWAN for requesting Roy/Riza and "Cry it Out." can u believe i have never written royai before?? a damn shame. 
> 
> feel free to check out [my other available fluff bingo prompts](https://krisseycrystal.tumblr.com/post/615847315971964928/rated-g-fandom-fullmetal-alchemist-prompt-cry) and request something!! i'm always happy to serve


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